Events

Talking Stick Festival

Festival dates: Wednesday, February 14 to Saturday, February 24, 2018

In its 17th year, the Talking Stick Festival is a citywide celebration of Indigenous performance and art featuring a mix of theatre, Ab-original Cabaret, live music, dance, spoken word, traditional Powwow, workshops, artist talks and more. With over 150 artists from across Canada, The Talking Stick Festival is an ensemble of the brightest emerging artists and established Indigenous acts.

Full Circle: First Nations Performance, producers of the Talking Stick Festival, has expanded beyond the festival and has diversified Indigenous arts programming by offering a number of storytelling sessions plus numerous workshops & master classes to community centres and schools in the Metro Vancouver area as a means to develop and educate young Indigenous students and artists.

Vancity is a proud supporter of the Talking Stick Festival “Workshops in Schools Series” which brings the Indigenous cultural experience, traditions and teachings directly into the classroom. “Workshops in Schools” is a fun, interactive program which serves to foster unity and a better understanding of Indigenous peoples amongst school-aged children.

The “Community Tickets Program” – a community outreach program offered through the Talking Stick Festival – is also supported by Vancity. In this program, tickets are purchased and distributed to non-profit organizations, community centres, and inner city schools, so that low-income families and children may come and attend the live theatre performances and events during the festival. This program evolved as the producers of the Talking Stick Festival looked for ways to make Indigenous arts and culture accessible to those who are not able to experience it due to financial difficulties or other hardships.

The Talking Stick Festival is a true celebration of Indigenous arts and culture for all Nations to enjoy.